The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has condemned what it said is “the brutal displacement of vendors and the wanton destruction of their stalls in Georgetown”.
The excuse given by the ‘rulers’ about cleaning up the city for the jubilee celebrations as the justification to remove the vendors is unpardonable and must be rejected by all fair minded Guyanese, the PPP said in a statement issued a few minutes ago.
“Acting in collusion with the David Granger-led Administration, the recently ensconced satraps at the City Council, as opposed to consulting with vendors to find ways and mean to ensure that they can earn a decent and living wage. The APNU+AFC controlled City Council, by virtue of callous action to remove vendors, has unnecessarily provoked a potentially politically explosive situation in the City,” the party stated.
“Operating in true military style, facilitated by civilian operatives, the APNU+AFC Government demonstrated their anti-people, anti-poor and elitist predisposition towards a social strata, which in the face of rising unemployment and increasing economic difficulties have chosen to eke out a living – a living that has placed them in a daily and nightly struggle to make end meets. At the same time the ‘rulers’ lord it over the Vendors from their sumptuous place of abode,” the PPP said.
It noted the issue of vending around Stabroek Market was the subject of a court ruling, which stated that a compromise was struck and allowed the vendors to ply their trade from 06:00 AM to 06:00PM on a daily basis and their stalls removed at the end of the day. The City Council’s actions are in contempt of court.
The PPP said it finds the action of the City Council, acting on behalf of the APNU+AFC Administration as anti-people, anti-poor and runs contrary to the vending practices and culture in Guyana and rest of Caribbean
“The vendors must be allowed to ply their trade and earn a living in an honest and law abiding manner, as they have been doing. For the vendors the ‘good life’ no longer beckons. On the contrary, it has evaporated before their very eyes,” the PPP posited.
These were the same thugs disrupting poling places
This cleaning up was long overdue. The market area was looking like a displaced shanty town. All stalls should have the same dimension for safety and uniformity. Its over crowded. I agree we all have to live but we must have standards.
Oh what a good life,closing down sugar estates,rice,now people cant even sell,expect other activities on the up,Oh what a good life